Directed by: Abbas-Mustan
Screenplay by: Rohit Jugraj, Sudip Sharma
Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Bobby Deol, Bipasha Basu, Sonam Kapoor, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Sikander Kher, Omi Vaidya, Johnny Lever, Vinod Khanna
Music by: Pritam Chakraborty
Rating: ***
Playing a terrific game of thrill and suspense is men in white director duo Abbas Mustan's forte. Players, the official remake of Hollywood's Italian Job, too boasts of a similar plot. Let's find out if Players managed to play well or fizzled out as a cold play!
Image: Players Movie Poster | FilmiTadka.
With ample help from Victor dada (Vinod Khanna), Charli Masceranes (Abhishek Bachchan) pulls off a heist of mammoth proportions by assembling a team comprising of Ronnie (Bobby Deol) the illusionist, Ria (Bipasha Basu) the automobile expert and a charmer, Bilal (Sikander Kher) explosive expert, prosthetics genius Sunny Mehra (Omi Vaidya) and cunning hacker Spider (Neil Nitin Mukesh). Though his plan was detailed, he failed to spot that one backstabber who eventually takes away all the looted gold, killing two members of the team in the process. Thus begins a game of revenge and also a game of getting the gold back.
Now, before we highlight the flaws, we will tell you why you should watch it. First, an Abbas-Mustan thriller always has a lot of twists and turns to keep you hooked. Second, the film moves with a lithe pace which immensely aides the film's theme. Cinematography, editing and action sequences are excellently executed. It is definitely far advanced technologically than its Hollywood counterpart. The backdrop of Russia is eye pleasing. But the highlights are the robbery and the revenge robbery! They are fantastically shot and performed. Surprisingly, Sikander Kher's performance catches your attention more than anyone else. Abbas Mustan's direction is first-rate.
Though the film has many goods, they couldn't overshadow its glaring flaws. The screenplay is pacey yet the film threatens to get lengthy at times. The plot points are so predictable that by the time the robbery executed, you know who the backstabber is. Also, performances ranged from average to bad. Abhishek Bachchan did a good job but needed more conviction and poise to play the mastermind well. Neil Nitin Mukesh is the biggest miscast. His lack of energy and vileness completely dampened the influence of his character. Bobby Deol looked lost, Bipasha did what she is supposed to - look glamorous. It’s high time Sonam Kapoor realises she can't act! Omi Vaidya is typecast. However, the biggest eyesores are the horribly done chroma work. While Abbas Mustan made a slick thriller, they forgot to pay attention to the detailing. Songs don't add value and could have been easily chucked.
Overall, despite its many flaws, Players deserves a dekko for being an Abbas-Mustan movie. But if you are expecting a Race repeat, stay away from Players!
Rating: ***
